Last nights brush with death...

[nasserblue]

Nearly all my fault I'm afraid.

Huge traffic jam in the car lane, me tanking along the bus lane, laughing at the car users, desperate to find out what was causing the hold up...Wasn't quite aware enough, as a gap appeared in the traffic, and someone travelling in the other direction turned right through the gap, and was going to go down the side road I was passing. Fortunately, he accelerated slowly and was able to reduce his speed sufficiently for me to flick left round his bonnet and the right to avoid the far side if the junction, and left to go back into the bus lane.

I should have gone back and apologised.

Never did find out what caused the hold up.

 

[BentMikey]

Strictly speaking, that's entirely his fault. That driver is responsible for checking that the other lane is also clear, being the bus lane, since he was turning right across traffic. You might have been riding more defensively than you were, though.

 

[nasserblue]

Fault is a bit irrelevant if I plough into the offside of his car and career across his bonnet and land on the road on the other side of his car. If I didn't see him, how can he be expected to see me. I should have seen the junction and at least sat up, I could have checked through the windows of the stationary cars to see if anyone was trying to squeeze between them.

All a bit scary. The most I managed to scream was "PLLLEEAAASSSEEEE.....", which was short for please don't hit me.

 

[upsidedown]

That's a very healthy attitude to self-preservation.

 

[BentMikey]

Fault is a bit irrelevant if I plough into the offside of his car and career across his bonnet and land on the road on the other side of his car. If I didn't see him, how can he be expected to see me. I should have seen the junction and at least sat up, I could have checked through the windows of the stationary cars to see if anyone was trying to squeeze between them.

All a bit scary. The most I managed to scream was "PLLLEEAAASSSEEEE.....", which was short for please don't hit me.

That's all true, and not at all in opposition to my post, apart from the italic bit. Of course he is expected to check both lanes of traffic he is crossing - if he can't see it to be clear, then he shouldn't proceed as it's not his priority. My point was rather in amazement that you should want to apologise to some idiot who was driving without due care and attention for his mistake.

 

[Jezston]

To be fair, how can a driver know the bus lane is completely devoid of moving vehicles until at least the front half of his car has moved past the stationary cars?

A bus you'd see over the top, a cyclist would be hidden.

 

[martint235]

To be fair, how can a driver know the bus lane is completely devoid of moving vehicles until at least the front half of his car has moved past the stationary cars?

A bus you'd see over the top, a cyclist would be hidden.

I agree with Mikey though, it's entirely the motorists fault as he shouldn't cross a lane if he doesn't know it is clear. i also agree with you though that he would have to creep very slowly into the lane to get a clear view.

I'd also be suspicious of the car in traffic before the junction. Quite often they flash their lights without checking their mirror. It's not their right of way to give and flashing your lights is not technically a signal of giving right of way.

 

[BentMikey]

To be fair, how can a driver know the bus lane is completely devoid of moving vehicles until at least the front half of his car has moved past the stationary cars?

A bus you'd see over the top, a cyclist would be hidden.

If you can't see it's clear, then don't 'kin go. Simple. Most of the time it's entirely possible to see, the moton turning right just doesn't take the time to check properly.

 

[nasserblue]

To be fair, how can a driver know the bus lane is completely devoid of moving vehicles until at least the front half of his car has moved past the stationary cars?

A bus you'd see over the top, a cyclist would be hidden.

Exactly and because of this we (that's me) should ride more cautiously. If the driver had put his foot down, as soon as the gap appeared I could be dead, but he was proceeding with a bit of caution.

 

[Tynan]

To be fair, how can a driver know the bus lane is completely devoid of moving vehicles until at least the front half of his car has moved past the stationary cars?

A bus you'd see over the top, a cyclist would be hidden.

That's exactly why so many riders get hurt by peple turning fast through stopped traffic, usually as fast as they can presumably because they think that's safer

They can edge through until tey can see it's clear, that also gives people approaching from their blind spot time to react

But no, they almost always whip it through, I've had enough near misses on that one to move as far to the left as i can on seeing a gap oppo a turning to open up the angle

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Nearly all my fault I'm afraid.

Huge traffic jam in the car lane, me tanking along the bus lane, laughing at the car users, desperate to find out what was causing the hold up...Wasn't quite aware enough, as a gap appeared in the traffic, and someone travelling in the other direction turned right through the gap, and was going to go down the side road I was passing. Fortunately, he accelerated slowly and was able to reduce his speed sufficiently for me to flick left round his bonnet and the right to avoid the far side if the junction, and left to go back into the bus lane.

I should have gone back and apologised.

Never did find out what caused the hold up.

Happened to me in 2007, and I went into the side of the car. Fortunately nothing broken, I looked like I'd gone 10 rounds with Lenox Lewis the following day. As I'd tried to turn inside him I'd gone into him side ways so the only bike damage was scraped and chipped paint. In both cases the driver was at fault, but in both cases we have to take some of the blame for travelling to fast down the left side of slow,stationary, traffic and not paying enough attention.

 

[HLaB]

Nearly all my fault I'm afraid.

Huge traffic jam in the car lane, me tanking along the bus lane, laughing at the car users, desperate to find out what was causing the hold up...Wasn't quite aware enough, as a gap appeared in the traffic, and someone travelling in the other direction turned right through the gap, and was going to go down the side road I was passing. Fortunately, he accelerated slowly and was able to reduce his speed sufficiently for me to flick left round his bonnet and the right to avoid the far side if the junction, and left to go back into the bus lane.

I should have gone back and apologised.

Never did find out what caused the hold up.

I wouldn't say it was you fault at all but now you've experienced it you'll hopefully cycle more defensively the next time.

 

[hackbike 666]

I wouldn't say it was you fault at all but now you've experienced it you'll hopefully cycle more defensively the next time.

True and alas not everybody can be as perfect as BentMikey .....I don't even remember what I got up to on my commutes at the tender age of 17.I wouldn't be surprised if I had done the same sort of thing.

 

[asterix]

Bentmikey is right but sadly so is Hackbike. My 2005 accident might have been avoidable by defensive riding. I'll never know as I cannot remember a thing about it except waking in hospital 24 hours after. I'm glad the OP was luckier.

 

[BentMikey]

Strictly speaking, that's entirely his fault. That driver is responsible for checking that the other lane is also clear, being the bus lane, since he was turning right across traffic. You might have been riding more defensively than you were, though.